How to avoid leaving uni deadlines to the last minute

Just because you can leave something to the last minute doesn’t mean you should. We’ve all seen stories on social media about people writing their entire dissertation in one day. After all, some people actually enjoy pulling an all-nighter and putting the 24-hour section of the library to its use.

However, when you have two essays to write, a group presentation to deliver, seminar work and lecture notes to read, leaving it all to the day before is probably not the wisest move.

Here is you can avoid leaving your uni deadlines to the last minute:

Know all of your deadlines 

Make sure you have visibility of all of your deadlines. Write them down on a wall planner, in your diary or save them to your phone calendar. This will help you keep on track of all of your upcoming deadlines. 

You could also set up reminders on your phone or laptop so you will receive notifications to remind you about upcoming deadlines. 

Start early 

At the risk of stating the obvious, making a point of starting early is the best way of avoiding leaving everything to the last minute. The more time you give yourself to complete the task, the more time you will have to plan your work, write up your assignment, and conduct a thorough review. You’ll have more time to ask questions or ask someone to proofread it for you.

Break the task down into manageable chunks 

Divide the task into smaller chunks can make it seem more manageable. By spreading it out you can make the task easier and simpler. For example, you could set yourself a target of writing a certain amount of words per day or separate it into different tasks such as gathering sources and then carrying out research. 

You could plan to do one task per day (or every other day depending on the time available) and build up your progress as you move towards the deadline. 

Set goals and rewards 

Set yourself realistic goals and a time for completing these. Be sure to be reasonable with yourself and keep these manageable. For example, you could plan to have the introduction written by a specific date or have your paragraph plan written by a certain time. Write each goal (and the due date) down somewhere and cross each one off after you have completed it. 

Reward yourself after meeting each deadline. It doesn’t have to be anything big – even as simple as watching a movie or eating your favourite snack. This can help improve your motivation. 

Avoid procrastination

Procrastination is a student’s worst nightmare. We all know how easy it is to keep putting something off especially at university when you are responsible for your own learning time.

Read more about avoiding procrastination here. 

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